I always feel such a mix of emotions when I get to a highly anticipated story like this one. I love it when readers are excited for a character. There’s a lot of buildup, and that makes the whole process fun. But there’s pressure too. I don’t want to disappoint my readers with a story that doesn’t live up to their expectations.

We first meet Caleb in Book Boyfriend. He’s Alex’s younger brother, and he comes back to Seattle for what his siblings think is a visit. He tells them he’s actually interviewing for a job, with the hope of moving closer to his family. He’s struggling as a single father, raising his daughter Charlotte, while keeping up with a demanding career as an ER surgeon.

In Cocky Roommate, we see a little more of Caleb. He’s an old friend of Weston—one of the few people in the world Weston can honestly call a friend. We learn a little more about the loss of Caleb’s wife, Melanie, when Caleb tells his sister Kendra how Weston helped him out after Mel died. It’s a surprising revelation for Kendra, and we get to see a little glimpse into Weston. But we’re also reminded that Caleb suffered a tragic loss when his daughter was just a baby.

Caleb’s story begins when Charlotte is six, just beginning first grade. He’s had a tough time finding a reliable caregiver, and Charlotte is struggling with shyness and anxiety at school. Caleb is feeling the weight of his responsibilities. When his in-laws insist their younger daughter, Linnea come to live with him to be Charlotte’s nanny, he thinks he’s getting more problems, rather than a solution. After all, the last time he saw Linnea, she was a teenager who barely spoke.

Of course, Linnea is no longer the quiet child Caleb remembers. She’s grown up, and blossomed into a beautiful, talented young woman. And Caleb is struck by lightning the first time he sees her.

Linnea grew up in the shadow of her older sister. She’s not like her parents, or Melanie, and she’s never felt like she fits in with her family. After her sister’s death, the pressure and expectations that had been reserved for her sister fell squarely onto her shoulders. She’s been trying to cope with the weight of that ever since.

Moving to Seattle to be Charlotte’s nanny gives her some much-needed breathing room from her overbearing mother. But she’s still trying to live up to her parents’ expectations, particularly when it comes to her career. She struggles with feeling abnormal, like she doesn’t fit in with her peers. And despite her self-proclaimed insta-crush when she meets Caleb again, she sees him as unattainable/off-limits.

From her first day in Caleb’s home, Linnea fits like a missing puzzle piece. She has a natural gift for nurturing others, and both Caleb and Charlotte are in desperate need of that sort of care.

But, of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. Caleb struggles with all the reasons he believes they can’t be together, despite his growing attraction to her. Linnea does the same. But, as Alex predicts, it was inevitable that it would all come out.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about writing this story. I had a soft spot for Caleb from the moment I introduced him in Book Boyfriend. He’s a sweet and gentle father who’s doing his best for his daughter. He’s suffered a difficult loss, but by the time his story begins, he’s ready to move on. But a demanding job and the responsibilities of parenting make that difficult.

In Linnea, I wanted to explore a character who was both soft and strong—something that can be a challenge in a romance heroine. Linnea isn’t sassy and no-nonsense like Kendra, nor is she awkward and quirky like Mia. But she has a quiet strength, and an ability to care for, and about, others without losing herself in the process. She can nurture both Charlotte and Caleb in the way they need, without sacrificing who she is.

And Charlotte. Oh, how I love that little girl. The sweet, shy thing with so much sunshine just waiting to come out. My hope was to incorporate Charlotte in the story enough that she’d be an enjoyable character, and you could see her growth as the story progresses. The trick was not letting her overpower the love story between Caleb and Linnea. Because let’s be honest, some kid stuff is cute, but it’s not exactly sexy. And we still want some sexy.

But between her dad’s devotion and love, and Linnea’s gentle encouragement, Charlotte does grow and you see glimpses of the girl—and young woman—she’s going to become.

I love writing close families, and the Lawsons have become one of my favorites. What I love about them is that I didn’t plan them that way. I didn’t outline Book Boyfriend with the intent of creating this fun group of characters who’d be such integral parts of each other’s lives. It all developed very naturally as each story progressed.

In fact, when Book Boyfriend begins, that closeness doesn’t exist—at least not to the degree that it does later. Alex is a grumpy divorced guy working a job he hates, struggling to help his dad through a difficult time. Kendra is trying to find her place in the world, both socially and professionally. Caleb lives in another state, the distance keeping him from developing a close relationship with his siblings.

But as each of the Lawsons meet their person, their entire family is strengthened. Mia becomes best friends with Kendra. Weston embraces his new family, trading up from the crappy one he was born into, and develops real friendships with both Caleb and Alex. Linnea completes the circle, coming into Caleb’s life and fitting in like she was always meant to be there. And loving Caleb and Charlotte fulfills Linnea in a way nothing else ever could.

I have to give a special thanks to my friend Nikki for her suggestion that Ken Lawson meet someone and have his own happily ever after. I can’t take any credit for that idea, and it was perfect, wasn’t it? The only thing I love more than a romantic happily ever after is a romantic double happily ever after. I was really glad I could write that in for Ken. He certainly deserved it, and I love the idea of him living out his own happy ending with Jacqueline.

And I know it’s Caleb’s book, but I can’t end without talking about Weston. First of all, the beach scene in chapter seven. I know it seems like everyone is kind of ganging up on Caleb, but honestly, I put Mia and Weston in a scene together and hilarity ensues. From Mia calling Caleb a DILF, to Weston saying Caleb has a dad bod, to Mia and Weston’s game of “real or not real”… I just can’t even with these people. Seriously, that scene wrote itself.

I also had a TON of fun turning Weston into Kendra’s sperm bank. It was a little bit of karma for the guy who man-whored his way through life for so long to suddenly feel like his wife is using him for sex. I tend to agree with Caleb; there’s no way that isn’t funny.

That was what prompted me to write Weston’s bonus chapter. I knew he and Kendra would have a baby, and the temptation to write Weston as a father was too strong to resist. How cute is that asshole walking around with his daughter in a baby sling? I loved how he’s oblivious to why the women are all staring at him (um, because a hot guy with a baby is sexy AF, Weston, get a clue). I also wanted to show that, despite the fact that he’s a big softie for his wife and daughter, he’s still Weston. He’s short with the childcare attendant at the gym (“Baby, please.”) and he doesn’t like people touching his daughter (I could almost hear him saying, “Mine,” when the woman in the hospital tried to touch Audrey). It was fun to revisit Weston from his point of view, and give him a little bit of closure when it came to his father.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I did, and that Caleb’s story was everything you wanted it to be.